Here Goes

Well, here I am, launching my blog once again.  I have had several people encourage me to write and I love doing it, but my thoughts have been too disconnected to write a book.  But by not writing I feel like I'm burying one of my talents that is meant to encourage others.  So, out of the desire to encourage folks I'm launching this blog.  My hope is not to provide you with answers to life’s difficult questions like some kind of spiritual guru but rather that through the vulnerability of my struggles in life and with God I may be of encouragement to others who have had their own pain and wrestling with God.  I've found in my life I'm much more encouraged by the person who has similar struggles as I do and openly shares them than I am by the spiritual giant with all the answers.  I can relate to a human not an angelic being.  That is one of the key points that we celebrate in this Christmas season, that God Himself knew this about most of us humans.  We can't relate to somebody who is unrelatable.  So God became so vulnerable to the point that He offended the pious religious folks.  I've seen that that's one of the strange effects of vulnerability; it most offends the Pharisees among us and in us.  (I’ve had a whole lot of Pharisee in me – and am certain there is still some in there – but more on that in future posts.)  For some reason being human really bothers religious folks.  Yet Jesus pointed out that the meek and poor in spirit are blessed.  That is, it’s those who know they don’t have it together that are blessed.

I hate that Christianity has mutated into this weird thing that has caused many who say they follow Christ to be completely unrelatable.  Yet Jesus was so relatable that the earthiest of people enjoyed being around Him.  It makes perfect sense.  He came for the very purpose of having relationship with us.  How can you have a relationship with somebody if you can’t even relate to him?  I’ve heard the saying, “Christianity is a relationship, not a religion.”  Yet the lives of so many Christians screams, “RELIGION!”  When I can’t relate to you until I modify my behavior to meet your approval then you’ve got a religion, not a relationship.  If you don’t have REAL and (as far as it depends on you) healthy relationships with others based in love and kindness then you’ve got nothing but a lame religion.  How can I say such a thing?  Well, it’s pretty simple.  We reflect who we follow.  If God is all about love and relationship,(that’s the very reason He created us) then if we actually know Him that’s what we’d be all about.  That’s the bottom line.  And it’s not that we go work ourselves into a frenzy trying to be loving or come up with a new program that is centered on building relationships.  That completely misses the point!  The point is if you know Him the natural result is that you will reflect His nature – which is love.  Perfectly?  Heck no!  But this is the bottom line of what it means to follow Christ; to know Him and love one another, period.  Anything else is just an add-on, an elective, if you will.  And many of those electives that have been tossed into Christianity are completely unnecessary, and frankly, a waste of time.